Promised to Wolves

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"General Castor Mycenaeans," the Lamia Princess spoke distastefully from her seat at the head of the dining table. "Would you care to explain to me why one of my Agem was required to give her life to protect me?"

The once confident and commanding General looked uncomfortable under Princess Octavia's hardened gaze as she gestured to the seat beside him, displaying her power over him in every way. I watched from the Princess' side as he eyed the wooden table with keen interest, digging out dirt from under his nails as he waited until he was able to speak.

"This letter here is from my parents," she continues, sliding a piece of expensive parchment towards him which had just been delivered by a raven. "They want your family to know that if it had not been for the bravery and competence of my Agem, I would be very much dead and Santorini would be withdrawing immediately from any discussions over an alliance. Not only that, but they would be very much inclined to declare war on this country." 

She paused, gesturing to the servant who was stood silently beside a table of food and drinks. A glass of thick, red blood was placed in her hand by the nervous servant and she took a long sip, licking the red stain from around her lips as she flashed her fangs. "So tell me, General, how did this happen?"

The General cleared his throat before proceeding in the most monotonous voice I had ever heard. "Your highness, on behalf of my father, the Alpha King, I would like to apologise for our failure to secure your safety and vow it will never happen again. The Alpha King also wishes to offer two of his best Beta Warriors to serve as your personal guards, if you will accept."

I frowned as I noticed the obvious evasion of the question and interrupted before I could help myself. "You did not answer the question, General," I pointed out, only to be given a harsh glare from him which had no effect on me. "How did three assassins armed with Belladonna get into this so-called fortress without being detected?" 

For a moment, I thought I saw a smirk on the Princess' face but it was immediately replaced by her cool, collected mask as she took over the conversation once again. "Thank you, Artemis, for pointing out their incompetence." She took another sip from her goblet as she made the General squirm with her stare. "So, what do you have to report?"

The General cleared his throat yet again. "We have the bodies of the two deceased intruders and are attempting to identify them."

The Princess was clearly suppressing the urge to laugh. "Congratulations, General. You have managed to pick up the dead bodies my Agem subdued for you. At least tell me you have the capabilities to identify them.

"We are trying our best, your highness," he responded, irritated by her sarcastic and patronising tone. "But we believe they used servant passages to move around the palace unseen and are making efforts to prevent it happening again."

"What efforts can be made to prevent intruders from sneaking into this palace through servant passageways. Place guards on every doorway? Kill anyone suspicious-looking? If someone wanted to steal a servant's uniform and sneak through the palace, they could. Clearly, you have very little understanding of security." My obvious loathing of this man was not helping the situation as I cut in yet again, but the anger on his face was deeply satisfying.

"You are a she-wolf. You know nothing of security matters," he scoffed, angrily.

"You are a General who enjoys sending men to die off in wars," I responded, a burst of anger coursing through me, as he flashed his canines and a low rumbling growl erupted from his throat. "You and your family have no understanding of danger. You cannot even fathom the death of a beloved one. But your failures are the reason why only one Agem sits here today. So don't you dare tell me I don't know what I am doing!"

My voice was almost breaking as my anger and heartbreak poured into it and I was forced to take long, deep breaths to prevent tears from erupting in my eyes. It was not just about the history the General and I had that was driving away all semblance of control. His blatant disregard for the situation, paired with his infuriatingly superior attitude to all except Princess Octavia was detestable. I wished I was allowed to smash his head into the oak table and rip out his canines.

But, I was bound by my duty towards the Princess, towards my country and towards the alliance. And so, I rose to my feet, still shaking with anger, and strode across the room to the window overlooking the forest. Though I had no wolf that would be soothed by the view of such a stunning piece of untouched land, it seemed effective in driving out some of my anger and I stayed there for a while as they discussed matters in quietened voices. Every now and then, I would feel the General's judging stare rake over my body, but I refused to allow myself t show even the slightest reaction, pretending he did not exist instead. 

Finally, the scraping of chairs on the wooden floor drew my attention and I turned to see the General bowing to the Princess as she nodded to the servant in attendance. The doors were pulled open and the General made a move to leave, but not before pausing in the doorway and opening his mouth. 

"I thought your highness would like to be informed," he began with something resembling a smile on his face. "My brother, Alpha Heir Prince Andreas, believes he found his promised last night, running through the halls whilst we were under attack."

As soon as those words had left his mouth, I froze. It had felt so insignificant compared to everything that had happened since, but now I recalled the man I had seen as we were fleeing the ball. Though his entire figure had been shrouded by darkness, his soft, golden eyes stood out in my mind as one of the distinct features I could picture. That, alongside the unforgettable scent of oak, sea air and wild garlic, forced my mind to consider whether there had actually been something between us. 

I had certainly been entranced by him. His every action had drawn my attention closer and closer and I had been unable to stop myself from moving towards him. But, could that man have been my promised? It seemed extremely unlikely. And for that man to be the Alpha Prince was even less likely. I was fooling myself with ridiculous ideas and I knew it.

"He is out searching for her, but so far she has evaded him," continued General Castor, oblivious to the swirling storm of thoughts raging in my head. "However, I am certain there will be a union before this business with the alliance is finished, which, of course, you shall be welcome to attend."

Princess Octavia made a sound somewhere between a noise of disgust and of humour and I stared at her with surprise.

"It is not me, General," she stated and, with relief, I realised what the General was implying. "The Prince is not my type and, besides, the witches of Thessaly would not have promised me to a wolf. The woman he saw was most likely a scared servant. But I offer him luck in his search."

The not-so-subtle hint for him to leave was taken and the doors were closed behind him and the Lamia Princess retook her seat at the table and had the servant pour her another glass of blood. Then she beckoned me over and I obliged, watching the expression on her face carefully.

"The mutts here are ignorant. Do not let them rattle you," she spoke, softly yet with warning laced behind her words.

"I will not, your highness."

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I wanted to be honest about why there are irregular gaps between publishing chapters. As someone who struggles with confidence in myself and regularly doubts whether what I am writing is any good or just rubbish, I often struggle to find the motivation to write. I am trying to push past it and just write, letting go of my fears and enjoy myself. But, in advance, sorry if you get fed up with waiting for the next chapter to be published.